Partners in Crime
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: She was an exiled Princess, and he was a Warlock from two ancient lines. Under any other circumstances they never would have met, let alone joined forces. Found by Xanxus, the two make the most terrifying duo the Varia has ever seen...which only gets worse when Mammon joins their ranks. Will the wizards survive their return, or will Belphegor's past catch up to her?
1. Chapter 1

A pale figure stumbled through the alleyway. The sound of an empty stomach soon filled the air.

It had been days since they last ate, not that they would dare go back. They had made quite the statement upon leaving after all, and they would sooner die than beg for food.

Out of all the things that they had tried to take, pride remained.

A second figure ran into the alleyway, and the cries of thief was heard. A younger, almost androgynous figure grinned as they took to the roofs.

Adults ran past, clearly after the pickpocket. The figure grinned, watching them flail about and go the wrong direction.

Their stomach grumbled even louder.

Once the coast was definitely clear, the smaller figure dropped down.

"Are you hungry?" they asked in broken Italian.

A grumble filled the air.

They blinked behind long bangs when food, glorious food was held out in front of them.

"I don't accept charity," they grumbled.

"You're hungry, and I know all too well what it's like to be denied food for long stretches of time. Don't think of it as charity...think of it as a favor to be repaid at a later date," said the boy. With those delicate features he could have passed for a girl, easily, but the voice gave it away.

They stared, but accepted the meal and ate greedily.

The boy was gone, but they would remember those eyes. The eyes that were as green as spring and kinder than any other boy they had met.

A few days later, they saw those eyes again. This time he was cornered by some thugs who worked for some low-level family who didn't even have decent fighters. Apparently their boss took offense to the boy operating in their area...or he took from the wrong peasant.

Either way, the memory of the 'favor to be repaid later' came vividly to mind.

"Shishishi..."

They drew the knives they had stolen from the armory before they went into exile, and grinned wickedly. Time to repay that favor.

There was blood, there was screams, there was a wild laughter as they became the eye of a storm filled with knives. And in the center of it was a boy who stared calmly in it all.

When the adults were dead and the screams went silent, rather than run away or look at fear, the boy merely tilted his head.

"How did you do that?"

A pale blond head turned to him, curious.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"Why would I be afraid? If you wanted me dead you would have done it, or let those losers kill me. You're not a monster."

"Shishishi... I am a genius," said the blond matter of fact, crown askew.

"...Hadrian."

"Shishishi, I didn't ask for your name peasant."

"I've pretty much tapped this place out, and since that idiot sent his thugs it's not worth staking my claim. Not yet anyway. What do you say, between your knives and my ability to steal, we could team up and take this world by storm."

"Shishishi... what makes you think I'll work with you? A Prince does not need peasants."

"No, but a prince would need a knight to do the more menial work for them, like gathering food or scouting."

They blinked. The older peasants refused to acknowledge their claim as Prince, and this peasant did have a point. And they were tired of going hungry.

"Fair enough, peasant."

Hadrian held out a hand, and they cautiously took it. The moment their hands meet, there was a spark that could only be magic. But Hadrian apparently didn't notice or care.

Or he had no idea he had magic in the first place.

The blond smirked widely. Having a wizard servant made things more interesting... and it meant getting a bit of unofficial payback. No one said they had to be nice to their servant.

* * *

 _Three months later..._

In a series of small accidents, Hadrian finds out entirely by accident that his partner is in fact a girl.

They were not pleased, even if it was an honest accident between children.

There was a major tense stand off between the "Prince" and Hadrian the second he found out her gender.

The number of knives he had to dodge were ridiculous.

"Does it really matter?" he finally said exasperated.

His partner glared at him, though it was hard to tell with her hair in the way.

"Boys have an annoying habit of looking down on girls and treating them as lesser because of their gender."

Hadrian grimaced.

"Let me guess, you're from a country where girls are still second class citizens, which is why you ran?" he asked making a face. Looking down on girls for being girls was something he never understood.

She glared at him.

"I killed everyone who got in my way, who looked down on me for being the princess."

She hated the fact that everyone blatantly encouraged Rasiel to treat her like crap, just because she was born a girl. That bastard had taken to the idea with glee, despite the fact they were born twins.

It was really little wonder that when she snapped, Rasiel was killed first.

Hadrian looked exasperated.

"Do you honestly believe I'll treat you any different now that I know you're a girl? In case you forgot, you're a better fighter and killer between the two of us. If I really thought you were 'weaker' than me, I wouldn't be stupid enough to act on it because I know full well you'd kill me in my sleep or something."

She stared at him...before a slow, broad smile appeared on her face.

"Shishishi. At least the peasant knows his place."

"Besides, we both know that without me, you'd never be able to keep yourself fed for a week. You suck a stealing, and that pride of yours has a bad habit of getting us into the most annoying trouble," he continued.

She raised her knives.

"What was that, peasant?" she said evilly.

"I said you're still the same pain in the ass I've known for three months, and I'm not going to think less of you because you're a girl...your _highness_ ," he said with a smirk.

She would admit to throwing the first punch, but the fact Hadrian didn't hold back because of her gender and hit her just as hard as ever made her happy.

He didn't see her as weaker. He saw her as his equal.

It was a novel feeling. And as they both lay gasping, bruised and cut up, they laughed. Something had passed between them and they were closer than ever. She also quit hiding the fact she was a girl around him, and only him.

Men still expected girls who lived on the streets to spread their legs in order to survive.

She had too much pride and would rather die first before submitting to a man in that way.

* * *

 _In Florence..._

Hadrian was in his happy place. This city was rife with opportunity for pickpockets. Most of the local ones were too pathetic to be of any real challenge, and with her at his side to deal with the any local gangs, it was unlikely they would have to leave anytime soon.

The other cities had too much competition or too little traffic to be worth sticking around. This place though, was almost perfect. It had just enough challenge to be worth staying, and the tourist industry was healthy enough for them to live like kings.

Hadrian grinned widely as he saw a particularly juicy mark. The guy didn't look very bright at all, even if he wore some emblem on his clothing.

She grinned as she saw his mark. He looked rather stupid.

"You draw him in and I'll deal with him. We'll rob his corpse blind."

"Agreed," smirked Hadrian.

That was what made them such a devastating team. Hadrian was good at running and drawing people in, and no one ever expected her to come at them with such ferocity or with such skill with simple knives. The police really wanted to capture them because they had a habit of drawing in rich low-lives, murdering them and then robbing the corpse blind.

Hadrian waited for her to get into position, then grinned wildly. He took off at a dead run and snagged the idiot's wallet. He followed Hadrian without thinking twice, rage clouding his senses.

She was waiting for them. Hadrian slid past her, ignoring the filth on his clothes, and she slit the man apart. Amazingly, this idiot didn't die immediately...but he was in no condition to get up and attack back. She was very thorough when she was in the mood for it, and she enjoyed blood so very much.

She wasn't stupid enough to lick the blood though, as she also knew perfectly well there were such things as blood born diseases and neither of them were particularly inclined to deal with doctors or having to steal medicines.

"Shishishi... Looks like you'll have to do some work again today~!" she practically sang. She flipped one of her knives to him, and he calmly went up to the guy with a flat smile on his face.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not," he said cheerfully. He slit the man's throat and didn't let up on the wound until the light died out and the gurgling stopped. He wiped off the knife and started checking the man's pockets. "Shit. Come look at this."

"What is it, peasant?" she demanded.

Hadrian flipped open the wallet and she frowned.

"This idiot is that high ranked? His skills were pathetic."

"Which means there might be people who'll come after us. We better step up our game and make sure they don't track down who killed him."

"Shishishi... In that case, let's make it hard to identify him."

She raised a knife and proceeded to methodically cut off the head, hands and feet. She also slashed up the emblem on his clothes and they hid the license someplace it wouldn't be found.

They disposed of the mess in a pig pen they found, where the animals finished off the meal. She made certain they would be riled up by killing one of the smaller pigs.

Hadrian planned to cook that later, since there was no point in wasting meat like that.

The two vanished into the night, keeping close eye on the newspapers about a body in the alley.

* * *

 _Elsewhere, two days later in a remote location outside Florence..._

"Boss, I got positive confirmation on the body found in the alley without a head, hands or feet."

"Who was it, trash?"

"Ottabio. Piece of shit got taken out by a pair of kids who had the sense to dispose of the evidence. One drew him in by stealing his wallet, a second dealt most of the damage and the cutting, and the first killed him off. Caught it all on CCTV," said the first smirking.

Anyone who could be taken out that easily wasn't Varia Quality. The fool let his guard down, and his weakness got him killed.

The only real interest they had in the brats who killed the fool was to recruit them. After all, anyone with that sort of killing instinct and the sense to dispose of the evidence could be trained into the right sort of killers they wanted.

The clouds above parted, revealing the figures of the men in the room. One with long silver hair and a sword on his left hand and the papers with the report was the Varia Rain Officer, Squalo Superbi. He had taken over the title as Second-in-Command from Ottabio, and the man had been a thorn in his side ever since.

If it wasn't against Varia rules for Officers to kill other Officers, Squalo would have killed the weak trash himself and be done with it.

The other, who held the position as head of the Varia, was a man by the name of Xanxus. The youngest son of the Vongola, he had recently taken over the Varia from the previous head.

"Tch. Might be worth scouting out these trash to see if they're worthy or if they just got lucky."

Squalo almost felt sorry for these brats. They were going to be targeted by the Boss, and he didn't really take it easy on kids.

Meh, if they could survive Xanxus then they were definitely Varia Quality and worth keeping around.

* * *

Hadrian was openly suspicious. Outside of a brief, minor mention of the body found in the alley there was not much police action on finding the killers. In fact the cops seemed far too eager to shift the duty of finding them to whoever this guy worked for.

Generally speaking, when the cops didn't bother to investigate something like the murder of a man wearing what was clearly an official uniform, that meant one thing.

There was a group already in firm control of the area, and they had just pissed them off.

Hadrian kept a firm eye on the people around them, before he finally noticed something he had missed before.

A CCTV camera aimed in the general direction of the alley they had killed that fool and robbed him. Which meant this guy's boss would be after them.

Hadrian had almost no respect for gangs. Most of their leaders were weak trash that were pathetically easy to kill, or liked to brag far too much.

And they had just drawn themselves into the line of fire of one strong enough to control even the cops. Great.

"Shishishi... peasant, if you're so worried I'll show you a fun trick. It's how I deal with locks when you're not around."

Hadrian had wondered about that, and why every time she dealt with the locks they always ended up half melted when they were too hard for her to pick. She was a tolerably good hand at it, but sometimes she got really frustrated.

She preferred to make him do it.

He watched with amazing as red flames covered her hands.

"Shishishi... impressed, peasant?"

"How did you do that?"

She snickered in that odd way of hers before she walked him through it. He had been through enough life and death situations to understand what she was saying. The moments of pure calm as he drew on _something_ and miracles happened.

Without much warning, violet colored flames sprang from his head and hands.

"Wha... How come mine are different?"

"Shishishi. Red means Storm, purple means Cloud. I disintegrate things, you multiply them."

She had manifested her Flames at an early age, and her parents had not been pleased. But she did manage to get a book on what they meant and found that red meant she could melt things with her hands.

She studied the other types, and still vaguely remembered what the other colors meant.

He tilted his head.

"So basically we're never going to run out of things like lock picks or knives again."

"Shishishi... I read that it doesn't work too well on food."

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of water. Eating the same food everyday would get very boring very quickly."

The two of them put the matter of fire out of mind. Using a fancy trick would make them too noticeable and make it very easy for them to slip up and get killed. And Hadrian was still kicking himself for not noticing the camera sooner.

Neither realized that in a few short days...more of a week really...that same fire would keep them alive against the most difficult opponent they would likely face.

* * *

Hadrian took one look at the man with the feathers and red eyes, and steered as clear as humanly possible from the man. This was not someone he wanted to mess with, much less steal from.

It would be the last thing he did, and he very much liked breathing. He was too strong for even his partner to deal with.

Oh, she might get lucky and get a few shots in, but he'd kill them first.

He thought he avoided the danger rather calmly...except the man spotted him and for the next three hours followed Hadrian around.

Hadrian spotted his friend and nodded to one of the alleys with roofs close enough for them to hop and hopefully evade this guy. If he was the one who ruled over this area they would have to leave in very short order.

No way was he stupid enough to tangle with him.

"Shishishi... you have a follower," she said to him.

"We need to get out of town. Preferably before he catches up to us."

She gathered their limited belongings and the two made their way outside...only to find the man waiting for them.

"You two are impressively hard to track down," he said.

Hadrian froze, but kept his friend behind him. She had better aim than he did, and he was used to being hit.

The man had a terrifying grin, if you weren't sure of what he planned to do.

"Let's see what sort of brats were able to take down even a Cloud as weak as Ottabio," he said with a smirk.

Fire came from his hands, much like the one she had showed him. Except it was the wrong color.

She started snickering evilly, as red flames erupted from her and coated her knives. It was a miracle they had yet to melt...except he could tell they would need replacing after this.

Well, she said the purple fire multiplied things...

Suddenly the number of knives doubled, tripled, almost filling the alley. The man's grin widened even further.

She struck first, trying to cut him up. Hadrian was not far behind, acting as her shield as his purple fire was briefly tinged with a green hue every time he was hit.

The fire _hurt_ , but not in a way he expected. More like it was brushing up against something roughly, testing him.

Seeing what the man hit with his fire, Hadrian immediately grabbed his friend and threw himself over her protectively. A purple shield sprang between him and the man.

He knew what an explosive looked like.

There was a sound like falling rubble and he felt something hit him on the head, likely a brick or a pipe.

The dust settled and the man was alive. Annoyed, but alive.

But his vision was getting blurry. More so than usual, like before he took to stealing glasses and trying on all sorts of pairs until he found out that made his vision clearer.

His friend froze, before looking very pissed.

"I didn't give you permission to die on me, peasant," she growled.

He had trouble responding.

The man looked somewhat embarrassed. Hadrian blacked out before he could hear the rest.

The day after, he woke up in a sunny room with several beds that looked somewhat like a doctor's office.

Except he highly doubted any doctor would dress as flamboyantly as the man tending to the few patients inside.

"Shishishi...the peasant is alive."

He turned his head and saw the man from before. Along with another who looked equally as dangerous.

Somehow he had a feeling this was going to be a major turning point in his life. Just like the day he met her for the first time.


	2. Chapter 2

The man's name was Xanxus, and the man they murdered in cold blood was someone he had been stuck with from the old blood from before he took over an organization of hardened killers and assassins.

Even Hadrian had heard of the Varia, and their Quality.

"Shishishi... this King wishes to offer us a place among them," she informed him, rather gleefully.

Xanxus didn't look annoyed by the odd title. If anything he looked pleased.

"What sort of place. I won't serve under some braggart who only sends his lackeys to do his dirty work. I can't stand those weak leaders."

Xanxus eyed him, and Hadrian felt as if he was peering into his soul. He snorted, and he felt like he passed some form of test.

"It's well known that in order to take the position of an Officer or the Varia, you must kill the one currently holding the title. And you, brat, killed the Cloud Officer by using your brain and a damn good partner."

"So what are you saying?" asked Hadrian.

"I'm saying you are going to take the spot of Cloud Officer, since you cost me mine. And your little friend is going to take the position of the Storm."

"Shishishi... no more having to run away from petty crimes. We can get real training and show the peasants who the real kings are," said his friend.

"So our only options is to stay here and get training, or deal with those idiot adults who keep trying to split us up claiming we're a bad influence on each other. Where do I sign up?" deadpanned Hadrian.

"Shishishi..."

She looked pleased with his decision. It was obvious she wanted to stay, very much so.

Xanxus looked equally pleased with his decision. Now he didn't have to deal with finding a Cloud.

The weird 'doctor' squealed.

"So brat. Do you have a name?" asked Xanxus.

"Hadrian. My friend still refuses to tell me theirs, though."

She grinned at him, mostly because he didn't give her gender away. In this world you had to take any advantage you could get, and hiding her gender was something that protected her. Especially when people thought that killing was a man's job.

He would later learn that Xanxus had given her the name Belphegor.

Needless to say he had endless amusement with calling her "Bell".

* * *

It was called the Cradle Affair.

Hadrian, now mostly called "Adi" and the one who kept the Clouds in line (Squalo didn't know whether to love him or hate him because he at least did his paperwork on time and in a legible hand) was the official prankster of the Varia. Without the looming threat of starving or being forced to work for someone he hated, a lot of instincts came out.

Like a pranking gene he didn't know he had, apparently.

But it pissed him off. They had stormed the Iron Fort, and he had taken out a lot of weak trash...and they lost the Boss.

Xanxus wasn't dead, thank god, but he was in a giant ice cube. Being recently bonded and not having their Sky _hurt_. He wondered if it was because he was so new to this bond thing, or if it was something about him, but it didn't hurt him nearly as much as it did the adults. Come to think of it, Bel was taking it a lot better than Squalo and the others too.

"Brat, you have a mission. Grab the Prince trash and meet Mammon in three," said Squalo bluntly. He was edgy, tense. Then again he was the closest to Xanxus.

Mammon was an odd one, even for them. They were a Mist who like Bel, obscured their real gender. However they seemed to have taken a shine to him and Bel, because he never asked questions outside of if they could do something.

He was being sent on multiple missions after a brief test by the Boss to see how he could handle being an assassin. Even when split from Bel, he managed to ignore any pain he had to do the job.

But by and large, Squalo made him team up with Belphegor and Mammon. Mostly because between the three of them, they could deal with damn near anything.

Especially since he was given proper training on how to use his Flames. Apparently he was a Cloud who had some elements of Lightning and something they were particularly able to identify. But he kept the other Clouds in line and that was all that mattered.

And while he wasn't particularly thrilled with the whole killing aspect, Squalo quickly found out he had another talent and was slowly putting him to a different use.

Hadrian could change his features, to the point no one recognized him. And with him channeling his Lightning Flames when everyone knew he was a Cloud, he could successfully infiltrate CEDEF and the Vongola to find out where they stashed the Boss...and to steal his X-Guns back from that coward Iemitsu.

Unfortunately this was a task only he could do, and it was taking a while because he had to keep the Clouds from killing each other.

Clouds were _notorious_ for being territorial as hell. And since he was younger than any of them, it meant he had to assert his dominance over the whole lot of them to get them to heel.

He couldn't call Bel to help him either, because _he_ had to be the dominant Cloud.

Which is why Squalo couldn't tell whether to love him (for filing the paperwork and at least _trying_ to make his day easier) or hate him because since he couldn't overpower most of his Clouds or beat them in a normal way, he chose a third option.

Defeat by attrition. Hadrian made traps, tricked his Clouds into them, and then wore their asses out _before_ he took them on in a fight.

He couldn't beat them in a physical sense, so he had to out-think them.

Naturally most of the Officers found his pranks hilarious, especially Bel. She didn't know he had it in him.

"Mu. On time as always, Adi," said Mammon with approval. They floated to sit on his shoulder, and he barely noted their presence.

"Bel's late again..." sighed Hadrian. Then he smirked, and handed Mammon a controller. "Do want the honors or should I?"

Mammon had an evil smirk of their own as they pushed a random button. There were screams of anger and rage from the Cloud division.

"Other side, though nice work. I'm sure the Clouds appreciate the mechanical cockroaches painted to look like real ones in their beds."

Mammon pressed another button.

There was a scream of rage, and Bel practically stormed downstairs soaking wet. There was pink paint all over them. You could feel the glare from her.

Mammon smirked.

"Three minutes, or I press another button and see what happens."

Bel growled and went to get changed.

"I'm taking the replacement bed and everything else out of your tab."

"I already paid one of your Mists to dump fake paint on Bel," said Hadrian smugly.

"...Then what did the button do?"

"Send a text message, mostly. You won't believe how easy it is to get the Mists help to prank my Clouds."

"What about the fake roaches?"

"I paid Verde off to make them so he could record response times and tell me how much extra training they're going to need," said Hadrian smirking. He tapped his head. "You're not the only one who understands the value of money. Better to pay people to do the hard work for you to make your own job easier."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you best."

Bel looked pissed, and it wasn't until she found out the paint was nothing more than a Mist prank that she calmed down.

"You know I hate pink."

"Shishishi."

"Don't steal my laugh," growled Bel.

Hadrian grinned evilly.

"What is your grudge against pink anyway?" asked Mammon.

The one time Luss tried to dress Belphegor and Hadrian up, with Bel as the "princess" because of the crown the boy always wore, Belphegor had damn near killed him. It was so bad that they had to pin the brat down for several hours before it was safe to let him up.

Needless to say Luss never tried it again.

Hadrian shared a look with Mammon.

"How much to keep this quiet between us?" he asked slowly.

"Hadrian," hissed Belphegor furious.

"Bel, eventually they'll figure it out and it would help to have someone as tricky as Mammon keeping this quiet. Besides, at least we know Mammon would understand why you keep it quiet."

Belphegor frowned, pissed. But out of the Varia, Mammon _was_ the only one who'd understand why keeping one's gender was so important.

Mammon waited patiently, knowing the two were showing them a very large amount of trust.

"Fine. My real gender is female. I like being Belphegor more though."

Mammon's eyebrows went up, even if they couldn't see it.

"I see. I'll keep this information silent but you're going to have to explain this to Luss eventually as well as the boss."

Bel winced.

"Look at the bright side. You have at least three more years before you have to worry about puberty, since that's the earliest it will start."

"I hate you so much. Can we get to the killing already?" she said with a whine.

"So is the fact you were born a princess the reason why you left your country?" asked Mammon.

"I left because the idiots who ran the place weren't exactly subtle in encouraging my twin brother to treat me like a second class citizen, along with every other female. They even had me betrothed to my own cousin," said Belphegor in open disgust. Then a crazed grin appeared on her face. "Of course no one expected me to use my Storm flames to melt the armory door, steal a lot of the knives I could fit in my hand and then kill my brother and everyone who got in my way between the castle and the borders."

"You never did tell me what your original name was," said Hadrian.

"...Elsa."

Mammon found it strange, how easily the two of them accepted their presence. But they weren't going to question it.

"But I don't mind being called Bel."

Hadrian gave her a one-armed hug, and she relaxed into it. For some reason she could never stay tense around him. He was just so...cuddly.

Mammon felt like they should charge to keep this all quiet from Squalo and the others...but to be honest they way children seemed to naturally include them in their schemes was nice. Almost like being part of the Arcobelano before that day when they got turned into a baby. It was as if they naturally fit in to the strange trio.

Besides, Hadrian's hair was ridiculously soft and fluffy, and he didn't care if they used it as a bed. They knew he sometimes caught them sleeping, but Hadrian never said a word.

They almost wanted to ask what shampoo and conditioner he used.

Actually, it might be worth it to ask that question.

"Uh... I plead the Fifth?" he said sheepishly.

Bel and Mammon gave him a Look. He wasn't an American and this was Italy.

"Spill. The Prince demands to know what you've been using on your hair, if only so we can switch over."

Hadrian winced.

"I keep stealing Squalo's. I have no idea what the label is, but he hasn't noticed some of his spare bottles keep going missing. Or if he has, he hasn't figured out it was me taking them."

"...You are getting me some of those bottles so I can hold it over his head," said Mammon with a dead serious tone.

Hadrian produced two of them.

"Luss is going to pay me a _lot_ for this information," said Mammon with glee.

"Again, don't tell Sorella where you got the information," said Hadrian.

Mammon smirked, but kept their silence.

 _Three days later..._

Hadrian was holding back his laughter when he heard Luss squeal with delight after he paid to know what shampoo Squalo used. With his hair always looking so shiny and soft, many were dying to know the secret. Especially the few women in the Varia.

* * *

 _Four years after joining the Varia..._

Bel cursed under her breath. Her chest had been growing recently and her stomach had been killing her for hours. Even she knew what the signs meant, if only because she had the knowledge shoved down her throat. The problem was she had no idea what the hell she was supposed to _do_ about it.

She couldn't exactly look up on how to deal with the pain or hide her growing chest without someone finding out. Especially if she started going into the drug store or into Luss' division for something like Advil regularly every month. She wasn't known for headaches, so someone would find it suspicious.

Bel whimpered. She was going to have to bring Luss into something she wasn't particularly proud of.

She left her room, figuring she might as well get this over with. Thankfully, she ran into Mammon as well, and she wasn't above paying them to create a wall of silence around them so no one heard the discussion.

Mammon took one look at her face, what little they could see, and knew. Belphegor had been increasingly irritable lately and was occasionally rubbing their chest without realizing it. They drifted onto her shoulder as she headed into the Sun division.

Luck was apparently on Bel's side, because while Luss was in no one else was.

Mammon created a territory and made it look like Bel had come to annoy Luss for some reason or another.

"What seems to be the problem, darlings~!" asked Luss. Mammon wouldn't create a territory without warning for nothing.

"You need to explain what a period is to the idiot," said Mammon bluntly.

"I don't need to know what it is, just how to deal with it," corrected Bel irritably.

Luss stared at them, before slowly saying "Why would you need to know how to deal with a period? Only girls get them."

Bel glared at him. She hated explaining this.

Luss cautiously poked Bel with his Sun Flames and you could see his eyebrows fly up in surprise over his sunglasses.

"I see. Does Hadrian know?"

"He knows, as does Mammon. Only them though. I hate being looked down on for being a girl," scowled Bel.

Luss could tell from her tone alone that it had happened often enough that she had developed a hatred of feminine things and being addressed as such. Hence why she insisted she was a 'Prince'...and why she nearly killed him for the dress.

Luss patted Bel with sympathy. The poor kid had no idea what they were about to deal with every month and hiding it was going to be a headache and a half. At least until they got used to it.

Bel would leave the Sun division with a much more detailed explanation than the one she endured years ago when her brother was alive, a list of things Luss would discreetly leave in her room from now on, and would be given a demonstration on how to bind her breasts back so no one noticed the lumps on her chest without causing any damage to her body.

She noticed when she had another growth spurt that Luss switched her shirts to looser fitting ones, to better hide the new additions. Aside from being irritable more than usual once a month, no one noticed a difference.

After a year of this she relaxed. She wouldn't be treated as lesser because of her gender, because no one really noticed a difference. Though Hadrian did start packing her favorite chocolate with him just in case her period started during a mission, as well as other feminine supplies.

Thank god for Luss.


	3. Chapter 3

_Six years after joining the Varia..._

Mammon was not pleased, and if they were irritated, Squalo was downright _pissed_.

"Let me get this straight. Despite the fact he's never even been to Scotland, much less near this castle, you're telling us that one of ours was _somehow_ selected as champion for some half-assed tournament without his permission or knowledge. And you honestly expect him to participate even though he had no contact with your people?" said Squalo furious.

Hadrian was a pain in the ass, and tricky besides, but he was still one of them. More importantly he was one of the only people who could calm the damn Prince brat when he was in a royal snit, which tended to happen at _least_ once a month and forced them redecorate random sections of headquarters.

Even if Hadrian did have an annoying as hell habit of pranking the shit out of everyone, especially his own Division.

Cloud Division learned to respect their superior despite his age, or else they learned to fear what his mind could come up with to make them respect him. And that was _before_ the damn brat got the Mist division involved, many of whom were more than happy to help set up pranks.

And they were trying to drag _their_ tricky Cloud into a shitty tournament he didn't even enter.

Pull the other leg, it has bells on it.

"I'm afraid the Italian Ministry has given us permission to bring Harry with us," said the old man, eyes twinkling and flaring his Sky flames.

The fat loser with the bowler radiated weak Mist flames.

"Then there is no issue. We don't have a 'Harry' in our headquarters that fits your description. The only people who fit the general age range you're looking for are the Cheshire and the Prince. Neither of whom are named Harry," said Mammon succinctly, hiding behind their illusion so as to be taken serious.

After some debate, someone _finally_ came up with a Varia codename for Hadrian. His official name among the Varia was the "Cheshire" after the cat from _Alice in Wonderland_.

If Bel ever let her gender be known, Mammon had little doubt she would be given the name Alice, or possibly Queen of Hearts.

" _GET BACK HERE YOU BRATS!"_

" _Make us, Levi-chan!"_ shouted a voice right back in Japanese. It was quickly followed by some unusual laughter as two teenagers bolted past with the Lightning Guardian right behind them looking pissed. Mostly because his hair was in an afro and a bright pink.

The old man looked at the two Officers with an odd expression.

"Who were they?" he asked pleasantly.

"That would be the Cheshire of the Cloud Division and the Prince of the Storm. Both of whom are for hire, for the right price," said Mammon.

If they were going to try to drag Hadrian to Scotland, they were going to make these idiots pay through the damn nose for it.

The weak Mist squawked in indignation.

"Now see here! You'll receive payment when the Potter boy wins the tournament! It has an automatic prize payout, more than sufficient for any services!"

Mammon had a razor thin smirk on their face, putting to mind the more vicious goblins they two wizards had been forced to deal with in order to find out where their "Champion" actually was since he hadn't shown up to Hogwarts four years ago.

As it was, the Italian Ministry honestly had no idea where he was or even that he was in the country. The boy had been more or less hidden in a very extensive magical organization and had apparently been placed at a very high rank following an unspecified test.

This group was important enough that the Italian Minister had washed his hands of them the second he found out where Potter was and stated explicitly he did "not want to get involved if it could be helped", but had been quick to assure them that this "Varia" was not some dark organization.

The mere fact Harry ended up with them was a fluke, as they normally only accepted those older than sixteen at the very least.

The Italian Minister did everything in his power not to inform the English that the Varia was a Flame-run Assassination unit. Just because they were here to retrieve one of their own didn't mean he liked the fact they tried to strong arm him into handing a mere teenager who hadn't even taken his O.W.L.s over to them for some tournament he couldn't have possibly entered.

Besides, Dumbledore was beyond rude, flaring his aura as blatantly as he had. Let the English dogs find out the hard way that they were dealing with hardened killers. He'd be happy to work out some sort of arrangement for young Potter so he could play catch up on his magical education...in exchange for him staying out of the Ministry later. They didn't need the mafia gaining a foothold in the magical government.

Having to deal with them in the normal one was bad enough.

"You misunderstand. The payment isn't for them to bother showing up. It's to keep him from slaughtering the other champions outright, if his partner doesn't do so for him out of annoyance. Belphegor is highly territorial and dislikes it when others try to mess with what he considers 'his' without his permission. And he has very firmly claimed Cheshire as one of his."

It was shortly after revealing her gender to Mammon that Belphegor dropped the 'peasant' nickname around Hadrian. Now she just called him 'Kitty' because of his nickname.

It was something of an ongoing bet how long it would take before hormones hit both of them hard and things really got interesting. Belphegor had an amusing habit of leaning against Hadrian, draping herself over his shoulders like a particularly vicious cat. If they weren't working, she was usually next to or on him in some way, occasionally laying her head in his lap.

The message was abundantly clear to the lesser Varia members... "He's mine, so back off or else".

Though there was one rather memorable incident when one of the more...homophobic idiots...made comments about the fact Belphegor was clearly attracted to Hadrian while Luss was within hearing. The man hadn't been subtle, and had shot all three of them a look.

Luss had looked annoyed and resigned, but Belphegor had stiffened before a rather strong wave of bloodlust filled the room. It had taken weeks to clean off the blood and mess.

After that there was a rather odd shift in the Varia. Namely people were alerted to the fact Belphegor took _any_ discrimination outside of the usual ones they had for civilians and "weak trash" very personally and would not hesitate to gut anyone who voiced such stupidity in her presence. Especially if they were mocking women for their gender. For all her faults, Belphegor hated discrimination above all else, especially when it was about calling women weak.

Considering she had grown up around the more extreme end of such treatment and knew exactly how it felt to be on the wrong side of it, she had no tolerance for it in any form.

Seeing the old man look like he swallowed a particularly unpleasant lemon, Squalo smirked.

"I'm afraid we only need Mr. Potter," emphasized the old man. Like he was trying to avoid something.

"Belphegor and Cheshire are a _paired_ unit. You cannot have one without the other. And as their senior, you would also have to deal with my presence as well," said Mammon bluntly. If they wanted Hadrian, they would have to deal with the Terrifying Trio as they were called.

The old man and the weak Mist looked rather pained.

"How much?" he asked reluctantly.

Mammon resisted the urge to smirk. Wizards had no true value of money outside their pathetic gold. And they rarely bothered to check the conversion rates.

What followed was a brief, if painful (for the old man and the idiot next to him) negotiation. Mammon played them like fiddles, because neither of them had any idea what the conversion rate from Italian currency to Galleon was.

They were going to be paying well above what the prize money was worth, and they was going to gouge them for as much as these idiots were worth via the goblins.

* * *

"So what's the deal, Mammon?" asked Hadrian.

"Mu. Someone apparently entered your name into a wizard's idea of a tournament. Though even after I read through the _official_ contract I fail to see how this applies. You have never been to England after all."

Hadrian froze.

"You sure they're from England?"

Belphegor looked at him. She'd never heard such an odd tone from him. It was almost like he was...afraid.

"Albus Dumbledore _is_ rather famous in England," said Mammon. They eyed Hadrian oddly. "What is going on with you? You never act like this."

He was openly shivering.

"Belphegor has her reasons for avoiding her home country, and I have mine," he replied, wincing.

"...Explain. Now," said Belphegor. She already didn't like where this was going.

Hadrian flinched.

"I hate England and everything it represents. I was stuck living with this English family for seven very _long_ years before they abandoned me while on vacation in Rome. And every day I was with them was worse than hell. They treated me like a slave in their own home, punishing me for imagined slights and if I ever dared to outdo their fat son."

Hadrian's eyes clouded over, the memories too strong for him to fight. Belphegor hugged him tightly, and it was only because of his friendship to her that he didn't flinch.

"I was starved, beaten, treated worse than second class and forced to keep my head down or they'd throw me in a small boot cupboard under the stairs, which served as my room. I was beyond relieved when I finally realized I was free, after I got lost in Rome. Living on the streets was infinitely better than being with them," said Hadrian.

"...I'll be sure to gouge them extra when we go there then."

"Shishishi... am I allowed to cut them up for you?" asked Bel.

"Mu. Only if they fail to keep up their regular payments. They have no idea that I'm making them pay a _monthly_ fee to keep you from murdering everyone who annoys you," said Mammon smugly.

Hadrian blinked, before he let out a broken laugh.

"In that case I better prepare _all_ my little tricks. Including the one I hate using."

When Hadrian turned thirteen his magic started shorting out without explanation. It took them two long months before someone tracked them down right after a mission and it was explained to him what was going on.

Apparently Hadrian was a Warlock, one from a very long line of Warlocks. And the last of his line. From thirteen until eighteen, his magic would start the transition to something far more powerful and potent than the current lot of wizards.

It was something passed down only to the first born son of the line, unbroken. When he turned eighteen his powers would Ascend and his magic would become stronger than any mortal wizard without outside help. But there was a cost.

Magic like this took a major toll on his body and the more powerful the spell, the shorter his life span would become. He was also given a list of things Forbidden and a contact number if something came up.

In short, he had to use a fake wand until he was Ascended and he could tell wizards where to stuff their fancy sticks. Ironically the only magic he kept from his wizard heritage was the shape shifting trick, which required no wand to begin with.

This was going to _suck_.

"Do we have to stay there the entire year?" asked Hadrian with a whine.

"The second the final task is over, we are gone. I don't like being somewhere I can't make money," said Mammon bluntly. They then looked at Bel, who froze. "I will also be bringing in Lussuria sometime around Christmas."

"Why? And what are you looking at me like that for?"

"Because there is a clause in the contract that specifically states champions _must_ open the ball held in their honor, which is during Yule. This farce was created to show off between schools, and the ball was something they all agreed on to promote unity between them. Which means Hadrian will need a date to the ball."

Belphegor growled.

"Like I'll allow some peasant hussy to get their claws into what's _mine_."

"Which is why I'm bringing in Lussuria. He can assist in getting us appropriately attired for the event so as to not bring shame to the Varia or the Boss. I _know_ how European wizards dress and I refuse to be caught dead in their fashion sense. They still wear robes," said Mammon in disgust.

Seeing their appalled expressions, Mammon knew there would be no objections to the news.

"This just means we'll have to prepare before the first task."

And Mammon planned to make an entrance none of the wizards would soon forget.

* * *

 _In Scotland..._

"Where is the fourth champion?" demanded Karkaroff. "The first task is scheduled to begin tomorrow!"

Dumbledore internally winced. He had only just finished paying off that insane wizard two days ago. The goblins had laughed rather loudly when they heard who he was sending the gold to.

Apparently this "Mammon Esper" was well known to them.

There was a loud commotion outside the castle. The headmasters and headmistress all went outside.

There was a dark corridor that looked like shifting mists forming from the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly the wizard who had blackmailed them into paying them in order to bring Harry Potter back to them appeared, followed by two others. The two teenagers were wearing a clear uniform, each in a different color with an armband and an emblem on the breast pocket.

The one on the left of the hooded figure wore a bright red the color of blood, and an armband with a tornado on it along with something in Italian. The jacket was open, revealing a striped shirt. They had blond hair that obscured half their face and barely reached the beginning of their neck, and wore a crown tilted to the side. There was an unhinged smirk on their face. Just looking at the boy sent shivers down the spines of those who had fought in the war.

The one on the right of the hooded figure wore a deep violet colored uniform, and his armband had clouds on them. His jacket was only half undone, revealing a plain shirt with a widely smiling cat on the front, one that had stripes along it's fur. The smile was almost as unhinged as the boy next to him. His hair was long, reaching a little past his neck and was held back by a purple hair tie. His eyes were framed by a pair of rectangular glasses that revealed amethyst colored eyes.

In short he looked nothing like Harry Potter should have. Harry had green eyes, after all, even if the rest of his appearance more or less fit in along to what James had looked like before his death. He was even missing the iconic lighting bolt scar on his head.

"Mu. You demanded we come to this remote location, so here we are," said Mammon crossly. They were wearing an indigo robe that obscured the top half of their face and had a frog calmly sitting on their head. Like the others they wore an armband, but this had something akin to fog or mist on it.

"Which one of you is Potter? You were due here weeks ago for the weighing of the wands," said Karkaroff arrogantly.

The blond teen smirked, and they all felt a shiver of death down their spines.

"Shishishi..."

The teen with the purple eyes stared them all down, and to the shock of the students, every one of the older and supposedly 'wiser' magicals backed off.

"I am an active member of our group. We do not cater to the whims of mere school teachers simply because I was dragged in against this little pissing contest against my will. Unlike you people, I _work_ for a living. Be grateful I was able to clear my schedule long enough to bother coming here at all, for I despise England," he said in a level, flat tone that sent shivers down their spines.

"Shishishi..."

Dumbledore winced. What the hell had he brought to the school?!

"Mu. Time is money. Do not waste more of mine than you already have with this farce," said Mammon crossly.

Without ceremony, the trio entered the school. Dumbledore had the worst feeling he had unleashed a set of lions on his unsuspecting students.


	4. Chapter 4

The first task was annoying, but that was about it. The mothering dragon didn't stand a chance against him, not that he killed it.

At least the animal understood where it was on the food chain.

What really pissed him off (and subsequently Mammon and Belphegor) was the whispers. Namely the fact that every single student in the castle seemed to have their eyes on him, particularly the pure bloods.

Belphegor was being extra clingy after she realized the looks the females were giving him. Especially when he revealed the purple color of his eyes were entirely due to contacts. Mammon was already hard at work running the betting rings. They had some competition with a pair of red haired twins.

He did not know what they were discussing with the Mist, and frankly he felt he was better off _not_ knowing. Mammon was vicious when it came to making large amounts of money off others.

"Shishishi..."

"Bel, put the knife away. You know Mammon will bitch about fees."

"The old peasant has yet to find out that the fee the miser demanded is a monthly one."

Hadrian smirked. A few more days and the old goat would really feel the sting to his precious vaults. Payback for not putting up proper security against illegal entries to the tournament.

Belphegor really, really wanted to cut up the peasant floozies for daring to lust after _her_ Hadrian.

Though it did bring some weird questions in her mind about why she felt so jealous they were staring at him in the first place.

Hadrian wrapped an arm around Bel.

"Don't forget, Clouds and Storms go together like chocolate and peanut butter. And there's no way some witch would ever tie me down when I have you," said Hadrian.

It was a good thing her hair obscured half her face, because she blushed. He still grinned though, because he did see a hint of red on her face.

* * *

It took all of a week for the first payment to keep Belphegor on a leash to run out, and the headmaster had no idea of the ticking time bomb that was the Storm Officer.

Of course not even Hadrian or Mammon could have guessed it would be one of the girls who set her off, and not because they were after Hadrian.

Belphegor was not in a good mood. She kept hearing the same name along with some rather odd whispers that raised her hackles up.

Namely quite a few of the older, more established pure blood girls were calling her "Rasiel" and wondering why no one mentioned that the Prince had run off with another boy. More than that, she kept hearing her old name mentioned and how it was a shame "Elsa" had died in a tragic accident where the body was never recovered, because now the royal line would end because the Prince was apparently gay.

Naturally it made her question why everyone assumed she was Rasiel in the first place, beyond the fact she was dressed and acting like a boy.

She had made sure to kill that bastard before she left, she knew that much. Though now that she thought about it, there had been a suspicious lack of men from her country trying to retrieve her so she could 'fulfill her duty as a woman'.

Which lead to her tracking down some old papers that mentioned her home country.

What she found had her pissed, if only because of the implications it raised.

According to the limited amount of information she could find, "Princess Elsa" and a large number of important people were victims of a 'tragic potions accident' that left the royal Prince badly injured.

Later papers stated that the Prince "made a full recovery", and drop off after that.

And that pissed her off.

"Mu. What's got you so worked up?" asked Mammon.

Belphegor waited for them to be alone and inside one of the territories Mammon made to secure an area.

"I need you to do a sticky trace on someone," she stated bluntly.

"It will cost you."

Bel handed over one of her credit cards without a second's hesitation.

"Name?"

"Rasiel."

Mammon paused, before taking out a roll of paper and sneezing on it. The minute Belphegor saw an active trace on it, she became pissed.

Someone was going to die very soon, and it wasn't going to be the one she wanted dead.

Mammon could only track the _living_. And apparently she wasn't as thorough as she should have been in killing the prick.

She stalked outside the room, unbelievably angry. And then she saw something that tipped her over the edge.

Some cow wearing the house colors of the Snake was trying to hand _her_ Hadrian a rolled up parchment that had all the feel of active magic.

Clearly the twit thought Hadrian couldn't tell a betrothal contract that became active the second one touched it. She saw red, and it wasn't from the Lion house or her own Storm colors.

There was blood, a gleeful and sinister laugh from Belphegor, and an annoyed looking Hadrian. He had thrown up a shield the second he saw Bel's knives heading in his direction, but he still got blood on his shoes.

However he didn't say a word, merely used a piece of cloth and some water to wipe it off his boots. Luss knew damn well Belphegor liked to get creative which always entailed a very messy scene of death, so he tailored all boots to repel anything liquid.

Including blood.

"I would ask why you felt the need to be thorough, but I could feel your unbridled rage from outside the castle," he commented. He didn't even bat an eye at the corpse...or to be more precise, the chunks that _used_ to be a person.

He was Varia Quality and a street rat. He'd seen much worse and it would take something really disgusting to get a reaction out of him. Besides, the chit had it coming.

* * *

It took an hour for someone to find the corpse and too long for someone to identify the remains. They were eating in a pub inside the closest muggle town to Hogwarts.

The English magicals had an annoying habit of being heavy on the fats and low on the actual _flavor_. There was apparently a feast where they diversified the foods available, but it was a one-time only thing apparently.

The Scottish food in Dufftown was thick and stuck to the bones, but at least it didn't taste like someone spent far too much time in a fairy tale setting and not enough time cooking things properly. It had a very 'mass produced' feel without the quality standards.

By the time they bothered to return (bikes made the travel simple and gave Belphegor an excuse to let loose without murdering someone else) they found the entire castle in an uproar.

Needless to say Belphegor found the entire thing very amusing. There were Aurors and everything and a lot of confusion.

Hadrian found himself very irritated with "English Logic" or the lack thereof when the betrothal contract was found and he was immediately placed under suspicion.

Lord Parkinson looked pissed that someone had murdered his daughter before she could properly bind herself to him.

"I told you that we should have disposed of the damn remains properly, but no you demanded we go eat first," scowled Hadrian to Belphegor.

"Shishishi."

As one, the Aurors turned their wands on Belphegor. There was a sudden lack of wands in the general vicinity. As well as hands, or anything above the elbow really. Belphegor was having a ball teaching these peasants who the top dog was.

It took almost half a minute before the Aurors processed what just happened, and then the screams doubled.

Fortunately the three Officers expected something like this to happen, because they hadn't removed the noise canceling ear plugs Verde created to filter out loud sounds while working.

Hadrian mostly wore them when on a mission because he found the screams and pleads for mercy very annoying to hear when he wasn't going to give a damn anyway.

"Shishishi... peasants should know better than to turn their sticks on royalty," said Belphegor smugly.

Hadrian sighed.

"How many times have I asked you not to get creative when I'm in close range of the spray?" he said exasperated.

"Shishishi..."

"What is going on here?!" shrieked McGonagall, almost looking faint at the carnage on the lawn as the healer in the infirmary ran to try and save as many as she could.

Hadrian gave them all a flat look.

"I have serious doubts about the security of this place if _this_ is your response time to an attack. Never mind the fact that you were stupid enough to turn your wands on Belphegor when they were already in a bad mood and projecting enough murderous intent to make it clear attracting their attention was a bad idea."

"They're English. Their capacity for intelligence is only diminished by their so-called blood purity and magical prowess," said Belphegor matter of fact. She cheerfully snuggled into his side.

Dumbledore finally arrived, and he gave off such a powerful "disappointed grandfather" vibe and projected enough Sky Flames that it would have made almost anyone cow under him.

Too bad the three of them were all bonded to a much more powerful and impressive Sky, and his grandfatherly persona didn't do jack shit after having to fight Nono who could pull off the expression much more effectively. And considering they pretty much disliked the Ninth because of what he did to the Boss...well, it ruined any chance that the expression or the magical flare would even work in the first place.

Belphegor and Hadrian both flared their own Flame auras in a clear "fuck you" vibe while Mammon radiated enough disinterest that it was abundantly clear they were apathetic to the whole thing unless it made them money.

* * *

It took two hours before the trio found themselves in an enclosed office with a distinctly "not happy" Dumbledore and McGonagall, a furious Lord Parkinson and a very unhappy Amelia Bones and Minister.

"Could someone explain to me why I have an entire team of aurors currently in the intensive care ward of St. Mungo's being treated for massive shock, blood loss and the reattachment of what little of their limbs could be found, a dead student and three Italians looking at us like we're idiots?" demanded Bones irritably.

Belphegor snickered.

"Shishishi... You can blame the old goat trying to pull off the 'grandfatherly mentor' role and failing abysmally for not reading the terms of his contract, and the girl for being stupid enough to think I'd allow some English cow to dare attach herself to _my_ Hadrian without MY permission. I refuse to share with some peasant."

Dumbledore blinked. That was a reaction he didn't expect.

"What contract?" demanded Bones.

Mammon handed her a copy of the same contract she had Dumbledore sign (much to his irritation at the time) and she quickly scanned it. Once she got to the clause that the old man apparently missed, she turned to Dumbledore with a very incredulous look on her face.

"You mean to tell me you were stupid enough to miss a payment to _Viper_ and NOT expect it to come home to roost?!"

"I did no such thing! I paid them as requested to bring Harry Potter here to participate in the tournament so he wouldn't loose his magic!"

"Paragraph 7, subsection B clause S dash seven when it comes to terms and conditions of keeping the psychopath that is Hadrian's partner on a leash," recited Mammon with open vindictiveness.

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses, and quickly scanned the document for that clause...before he paled. He openly choked as he read it aloud for the Minister and Lord Parkinson's benefit.

"A _monthly_ fee...?!"

"When Belphegor gets bored, they get very bloodthirsty. It takes a lot of skill to keep them from going on a rampage," said Hadrian bluntly, enjoying this very much. When it came to extorting money under obscure reasons that people missed until it came time to pay, Mammon was a _master_ at the art. They could slip in clauses and fines that would make Midas himself weep at having to pay them.

Especially if Mammon didn't like you. Then they got creative in slipping them in and took you for everything you were worth.

"What about my daughter! I demand compensation and that brat in chains!" shouted Parkinson.

Mammon looked to Madame Bones.

"Would you mind performing a basic spell to test for any active magic on Hadrian and Belphegor please."

Madame Bones blinked at the odd request, but cast a simple charm on the two. Her eyebrow shot up (as did several others) when a clear bond was seen between the two Officers. One that had a color that was very, very specific.

"The two of them have an active _soul bond_?!" said Dumbledore openly horrified.

"Was that what the spark was?" said Hadrian, confused. He remembered the shock he got when he shook her hand for the first time, but he just thought it simple static shock.

"That's impossible! Bonds like the one they're showing only form between a _witch_ and a wizard when their magic is compatible! There's never been a documented case of two wizards forming anything but a brother's bond!" said Parkinson outraged.

Hadrian looked at his friend. She was definitely pissed off, but there was only one way to resolve this without a bloodbath.

"Do you want to tell them or should I?"

"We never explicitly stated that Belphegor was a wizard," said Mammon, cutting to the chase.

"Belphegor is a _boy's_ name, and that brat dresses like a man would," said Parkinson.

"Shishishi... does the peasant wish to join his daughter in the afterlife?" growled Belphegor with a very bloodthirsty smile and two hands full of sharp knives.

"Belphegor's guardian gave her that name upon entering the Varia when she failed to supply one herself. For security reasons she has never shown her face or revealed her original name," said Mammon bluntly.

Amelia Bones openly choked in horrified disbelief, before turning to Dumbledore and Fudge with open shock.

"You two invited the bloody _Varia_ into the school and didn't bother to keep up payments?!"

"Who are the Varia?" demanded McGonagall, coming very close to losing her temper. Today had been a disaster of epic proportions and she could already tell she'd be hitting the scotch hard tonight.

Bones looked at their faces, and then at the three openly amused officers.

"You did go through the Italian Minister to convince Lord Potter into coming... didn't you?"

"He said that young Harry joined a very prestigious organization that only qualified candidates over seventeen could join after being tested and that it was amazing he was already so highly ranked as to lead an entire division on his own. Especially since the group controls a good portion of Florence with no argument from the local authorities."

Hadrian couldn't help it, he had to snort with open laughter. Belphegor wasn't that far behind him, she was outright snickering in clear amusement.

"Impressive...a politician who knows how to tell the truth without once diverting into complete bullshit to cover up the real facts," said Mammon.

That set Hadrian and Belphegor off even more. They were having great trouble keeping from rolling on the floor with their laughter.

Amelia ignored them with ease.

"I'm afraid Lord Parkinson, that if you wish to seek compensation for your loss you would be better off suing Dumbledore for not upholding his end of the contract to the Varia. And you, headmaster had better start making the proper payment to Viper. If you don't, I'm afraid I'll have to order my Aurors to ignore any and all murders caused by these three while they are enjoying your... hospitality."

"WHAT?!"

"You can't be serious!" said the Minister sputtering.

"I'm deadly serious. I'm not going to waste any more of my aurors on a suicide assignment to deal with Varia-related deaths because someone didn't pay them to keep their eccentricities to themselves, _especially_ since the current officer of the Red division is notorious for being particularly bloodthirsty when bored."

"Shishishi..."

It would be almost a month before Dumbledore found out the truth about what the Varia actually _was_. And that was through the same man he allowed to be locked up for twelve years despite being innocent.

Sirius Black would be torn between open laughter at the fact that the Italian Minister had pulled a very effective prank on the headmaster and Fudge...and shock that his godson was considered Varia Quality to the point he ran one of the divisions on his own.

That lasted right up until he also discovered how Hadrian enforced order, and the two got on like wildfire and Black enjoyed a good long laugh on Dumbledore.


	5. Chapter 5

If the news that Belphegor wasn't being charged or even punished for killing Pansy by the Aurors or her family wasn't the gossip of the day, the fact that 'he' was in fact a 'she' who vehemently disliked being considered a woman to the point she even took preferred to be spoken to with masculine pronouns really shocked the pure blood witches.

After realizing there was a reason why she looked identical to the Prince Rasiel, who lived in a country rather notorious for the ill treatment of females, it came as no surprise.

However no one was stupid enough to set off the unhinged witch by speaking the name on the minds of all the purebloods.

Princess Elsa, the one that supposedly was killed by a "tragic potions accident" that wiped out quite a few people and badly injured the prince.

It did not help that Belphegor would cheerfully bring out all manners of sharp knives and let off her sinister laugh that sent shivers of terror down the spines of everyone.

Though the fact she was making everyone uncomfortable didn't stop the more... slow witted of the pure bloods.

Like one Draco Malfoy, who thought that all girls should consider themselves honored he gave them any attention. His arrogance could be partially blamed on his father's attitude to his mother, and puberty making him worse than he already was.

Too bad no one warned him of how...extreme...the exiled Princess reacted to such treatment or the true nature of why she was in the Varia in the first place.

Belphegor leveled an unimpressed glare at the pale blond wizard, before moving to leave. Dumbledore had been very quick to pay off Mammon to keep Belphegor on a leash, especially now that he knew the Aurors wouldn't stop her and that she was bonded to Harry Potter.

The brat should feel honored she wasn't slicing him up on the spot for his arrogance. She was royalty...she bowed to no one save the Boss and that's because he _earned_ her respect first.

Malfoy clearly didn't expect her to openly dismiss his offer to be her date to the Yule Ball. Students were scrambling for dates, and the more popular and pretty ones were being taken up fast.

Draco might have taken Pansy...if Belphegor hadn't cut her up into pieces first.

Bel filled her right hand with knives, a sinister smile on her face.

"Shishishi... do you really think I'd lower myself to accepting your offer, _peasant_? The only ones who would have a chance with me are those I respect, and you fall far short of that," sneered Belphegor.

Draco sneered right back, his self preservation instincts having died through false arrogance years ago. Without anyone to challenge him, he unofficially ran the school.

"Like a pathetic whore like you would know what quality looks like."

The temperature around Belphegor turned positively boiling. Her sneer turned far more angry and bloodthirsty.

"Tell me, do you spread your legs for Potter or is it for any man who pays you?" sneered Draco.

It was like there was a volcano around her. The walls were quite literally _melting_ from the force of her Flames, even if they weren't visible.

"Wow, you must _really_ have a death wish. Belphegor killed most of the men who dared to talk about her like that to her face in her home country and almost killed her own brother for that sort of shit. And that was before she was trained in how to properly eviscerate someone to the point they become unrecognizable," commented a flat voice.

It was Hadrian.

"Shishishi... the next time the old man fails to pay Mammon properly, you're the first on my list," said Belphegor, snarling.

"Actually the contract only explicitly stated that we'd keep _you_ on a leash. Mammon never said what _I_ would do to anyone who made such insinuations about your honor," corrected Hadrian.

The force of his killing intent caused Draco to piss himself. Partially because he was amplifying it with his Cloud Flames, but more because he was channeling his distant cousin Bellatrix at her most creative with his tone.

"And let's not forget one very important fact, _Malfoy_. Your mother is a Black, and I am the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Meaning if you annoy me any further I will happily request the current head expel you from the family permanently. Piss me off and I will not hesitate to initiate a blood feud against your family," said Hadrian, his eyes cold as ice and his smile just as warm.

Dead silence. The small crowd that had gathered to watch the show immediately moved as far away from Draco as physically possible.

While they might not treat the threat of physical violence as they properly should, the open threat of being denied family magics _and_ the warning of a blood feud being declared on the errant members was something they were afraid of. One did not bandy such warnings lightly, and no one doubted for a second Potter wouldn't follow through.

By that time the teachers managed to make it to the area, and McGonagall noted with some alarm the state of the walls.

"What is going on here?" she demanded.

"We're simply _instructing_ Heir Malfoy in his place on the food chain," said Hadrian calmly.

"Shishishi... peasants should know their place," agreed Belphegor, sneering at Malfoy in a way that made the old cat very uncomfortable.

She knew the boy had a major attitude problem, but she didn't think he'd be foolish enough to antagonize someone like Belphegor.

They had yet to confirm or deny that the 'boy' was in fact Princess Elsa. Mostly because if they did confirm her identity as the twin sister of the Prince, Dumbledore was obligated by ICW laws to report her whereabouts to her country. She was an heir, after all.

The main reason he hadn't was simple enough. He had the correct suspicion that once he did, he'd be in for a bigger bloodbath than the one the girl created when the Aurors had merely pointed their wands at her. They were only just now getting out of recovery, but the trauma they suffered from the attack was on a scale the healers and mediwizards were hard pressed to help.

Some of the muggleborns who managed to secure a spot in the hospital identified it as PTSD...sadly the mind healers had no idea how to treat it.

Belphegor was still pretty damn pissed though.

Once she was curled up against Hadrian in the room they were 'given' by the headmaster, Hadrian held her close.

"Want to be my date to the ball?"

"Shishishi...like there was any doubt? I don't like others touching what is _mine_ ," said Belphegor.

"And I don't appreciate it when fools like that little child mock your pride. If he tries it again I will destroy him and his line permanently," said Hadrian. He was a possessive bastard, almost as much as Belphegor was herself.

"Nothing past second base until either you're seventeen or the Boss is freed and gives his permission," Mammon called out while checking their accounts.

Which meant that cuddling was very much an option, and since hormones had finally made their presence known in the two, Belphegor had become extra clingy.

"Shishishi... Mine."

* * *

Belphegor didn't know how to react to the girls around her. Namely because back when she was still in her own country, girls were too downtrodden to dare speak ill behind her back. She had become an unofficial symbol of how the royalty treated women.

And an ironic symbol for hope for it's females, since she had killed so many and evaded capture all this time.

Now though... now she had to endure the cruel words of her own gender. And girls were so very, very good at ripping someone apart without physically touching them.

The Slytherin ones were particularly vicious as they took the fact she dressed and acted like a boy. They took great pleasure in the fact she wasn't allowed to kill any of them, and always made very sure Hadrian was nowhere near hearing range.

And despite being a psychotic killer with little regard for 'peasants', their comments _hurt_.

So much so that as the Yule Ball drew closer and the girls took out the fact Belphegor had secured Hadrian as a date, her poor nerves were on edge.

Something had to give, and that something was her pride and her patience.

If they were going to make disparaging comments on the way she dressed and acted, after the hell she endured because of her gender by her own family, then she would outshine the peasantry and show them what _real_ class and royalty looked like.

Good thing Luss was there, to briefly take over for Mammon who had to go on a mission that couldn't wait.

"Sorella... I need your help with something..." said Bel, a nervous smirk on her face.

Luss took in Belphegor's agitated appearance and brought her in so he could hear her request. Generally speaking she didn't bother him unless it was for female troubles, since he was one of the three people who knew her gender and would give her a straight answer.

"What do you need sweetie?" asked Luss. He only called her that when they were alone.

A brief hint of blue from under her bangs was seen. She called up her courage and told him.

Luss looked sympathetic and excited. He had always wanted to dress up the little "Prince", especially since learning her gender. And now she was giving him permission to put her in a fabulous dress that coordinated with Hadrian so they could look like a Princess and her Knight.

"Don't worry darling, by the time we're through those weak hussies will never doubt the fact you're a real woman who just happens to prefer men's clothing. You're still more of a man as a woman than half the boys in this castle anyway," said Luss.

The relief on her face was palpable. The nasty comments must have really bothered her.

Luss made a note to find out who had hurt the little Storm...and make their lives a little extra hellish.

"Now, do you want me to show your eyes or is that still off the table?"

"Can't. Too recognizable, especially in this environment, and there are laws that would have the old goat telling my country where I am since I am still considered an heir despite being a woman. Mostly so they can force me to pump out 'real' heirs with someone I can't stand," said Belphegor.

"I can still give you a minor hair cut around the bangs. Not enough to expose the eyes but enough that you won't accidentally eat hair every time you try to talk. And we can give you a different crown... yours is looking a bit tarnished and could probably go for a proper cleaning."

"Shishishi..."

* * *

Hadrian waited patiently for Belphegor. Sorella said he had a big surprise for him and Mammon, who was going to be taking many, many pictures for later.

Hearing a hushed shock descend around him, Hadrian slowly turned...and his mind stalled for several moments.

There was a _Princess_ descending the stairs. No one had any doubt that this was a woman who was born to power and knew how to use it, and the crown was practically a dead giveaway of her status. She had a modest bust and wore a dress like fire that went almost to the ground, but didn't pool around her. The shoes were low-heels, which were just as classy as the ones Sorella liked to drool over whenever he saw a pair he really liked. Her hair just barely covered her eyes, giving hints of what could possibly be behind those gold bangs. Her collar was exposed, but it only hinted at the possibility of a bust. The gloves she wore were of a lighter tone of red, but complimented the dress she was wearing.

It was like the girl was _literally_ wearing fire, and she knew it.

" _Who is that?"_ hissed one of the French girls.

The princess took all the attention off of Fleur, because no one could look at her and _not_ compare the two, only to find Veela charm floundering for once.

"Shishishi... like what you see?" asked the girl to Hadrian.

He stared, and he would openly admit to that.

"Bel?" he said in shock.

"Shishishi... Sorella was thrilled to have a chance to show off the fact I'm really a girl," said Belphegor grinning even wider. She was preening, there was no mistaking her smugness. She had the attention of everyone around her, and now the whispers about her femininity were gone permanently.

Luss had been beside himself with delight, once he saw what he had to work with. Belphegor was really starting to fill out as a female, and he rarely had the chance to work with someone who's requirements were so open _and_ happened to be a female.

All Bel had requested was that it be red like fire, her bangs kept obscuring her eyes, and that she wore a crown. Oh and that they put the entire school to shame when it came to fashion, especially the girls.

 _(A/N:_ Her dress is a combination of the _Anastasia_ dress that the Anya wore to the Russian ballet and the dress Elsa created in _Frozen_. Imagine more of a fire theme, as opposed to the ice theme and you get the gist. The crown is almost identical to the one Elsa had before she tossed it away, with a red gem and the Varia crest.)

McGonagall wasn't the only one doing a double take. Everyone was when they realized who Hadrian had on his arm.

Any doubts of Belphegor being royalty were now shot to hell. No one could pull off that sort of aura without being born to it naturally.

Mammon was going to make a fortune off these once Belphegor came clean on her gender in headquarters. Either way they were keeping a scrapbook for the two.

Luss was positively cooing at the two.

"I want copies of them for later," he said to Mammon.

"Deal, if only you let me document all the times you con Belphegor into a dress again."

The unholy alliance made, they watched as the two teens danced for over an hour. After all, how often would they be able to dance at a ball again, especially with the boss frozen? Most mafia balls were more like oversized parties where business was done and for meet and greets. No one really _danced_ at them, because it left one exposed.

And with the Boss on ice, they really weren't that in the mood to attend any parties to begin with.

As the two went outside, Hadrian narrowed his eyes at something rather unusual.

"It's the end of December, right?"

Belphegor looked at him oddly.

With the speed of a trained killer, Hadrian lashed out and captured an odd beetle in an unbreakable jar.

"What's that?"

"I'm guessing an illegal animagus. Beetles like this aren't active in winter and I don't recall _any_ species that has such a distinct pattern around the eyes. Looks suspiciously like glasses, wouldn't you agree?"

Belphegor looked closer, saw what he was looking at and her grin widened to the one she normally got when there was a prospect of fun.

"Shishishi... Mammy's going to _love_ this."

Hadrian's grin was positively evil.

"Why yes, yes they are going to love this. The perfect Christmas present and it's the gift that keeps on giving," said Hadrian.

Mammon took one look at the cowering form of one Rita Skeeter, who was currently in _their_ territory...and then looked at the grinning forms of the terrifying Cloud and Storm couple.

A positively _wicked_ smirk appeared on their face, and they were already adding up the sheer level of blackmail this foolish witch had on the country and how much they could extort from it.

"Mu. If you weren't already tied to the princess brat I would jump you myself for this sort of prize," said Mammon to Hadrian.

"Shishishi... Who said I would mind if you did so long as I got to watch?" said Belphegor smugly.

Yes, she was as territorial as a Cloud when it came to Hadrian...but there was one exception to that rule. She didn't mind sharing with the Mist so long as they understood Hadrian was _hers_ first.

"Now little bug, you're going to tell me _exactly_ what you know and who you have blackmail on..." said Mammon looking evil. Rita winced openly at the smirk on Mammon's face.

It looked like her run of luck had definitely run out. And that was before they brought the Aurors in because they busted her for being an illegal animagus.


	6. Chapter 6

Hadrian was not pleased with having to swim in the middle of freaking February in _Scotland_ , into a freaking mountain lake. Especially to "rescue" Bel, who he knew damn well did not take the whole "damsel in distress" bullshit lying down. She was almost certain to give these idiots hell for it.

Never mind that Mammon was fully prepared to charge them through the roof, because there was no way in any version of hell she would have agreed to be a hostage, even for Hadrian's sake.

More than that, only an _idiot_ forced a Active Flame that deep underwater without taking precautions. Considering what he knew of English "precaution" and "logic" they had likely put her under a spell or more likely a potion. A potion that wouldn't last long considering Bel had _Storm_ flames, which by their very nature worked through drugs and potions like they were nothing.

The second the gun went off, he was swimming with large strokes, until he reached the general area of where he felt Bel's Flames.

He was always in tune to where she was. He could find her every time, especially when she was angry.

Once there, he put his rebreather in and dived. He went slowly, so as to avoid any problems. The water in the Black Lake was _just_ deep enough that he risked getting the bends.

He surprised the mermaids, who weren't expecting anyone this soon.

Hadrian swam up to Belphegor, and checked her skin. It was burning up, and not from a fever. If she were sick, the freezing water would have kept it down until she got medical care. No, this was entirely because her Flames were eating away at something internal and she was _pissed_ about something.

He was about to cut her free when he noticed something else that had him pissed.

Who the _hell_ thought shoving a fire-element witch like a Veela underwater was a smart move?! Everyone knew that they didn't react well to depths and were closely related to the sirens to the point that mermaids didn't like having them anywhere near them.

He could take Bel and head for the surface...or he could do his good deed for the year and get a fellow Fire element out of the water. He highly doubted Fleur (because the resemblance was strong enough to make a general guess who the child was for) would have much luck getting to her sister.

Hadrian took out the other rebreather and put it into Bel's mouth, before going to work on the ropes.

By the time he cut the little girl free she was coherent enough to react to his touch and know that she had to swim _up_.

No one said he had to carry her out of the water, and he didn't want to be that close to an angry Belphegor after she was forced to be the damsel in distress.

Belphegor liked stories where the girls were the heroes and kicked the monster's ass without looking like frilly idiots who needed a boy to save them. Women like Lina Inverse from _Slayers_ , or Lessa from the _Dragonriders of Pern_ series.

The mermaids wisely didn't stop them, as technically he _was_ rescuing a hostage even if it was the wrong one. By the wizard's definition, a champion had to swim out of the lake with their hostage.

Once they reached the surface, Hadrian let the little girl cling to his neck while he swam to the shore. Belphegor was still radiating a quiet anger at being a hostage in the first place.

"Gabrielle!" cried Fleur, relief evident on her face. She had scratches and it was clear she had run afoul of something in the lake. Not enough to put her in any real danger, but enough that she couldn't reach her sister.

"Who's bright idea was it to put two fire-element witches in a _mermaid_ colony? For that matter who the hell thought it was a good idea to make us go swimming in February in the middle of a Scottish mountain lake when any water that comes from the mountains still contains ice run off?!" he complained.

"...You were only supposed to retrieve one hostage," said Bagman.

"And you're supposed to be smart enough to know that mixing fire and water is a very bad idea. Veela, even part Veela are fire elementals and closely related to Sirens, who mermaids hate with a passion. To say nothing of how stupid you were to force a potion down Bel's throat when her natural magic tends to eat up such things too quickly to be very effective!"

Bagman muttered something under her breath. They'd had to give the girl a far too high a dosage for her to stay under for a few minutes, much less the hour and a half they deemed sufficient. The Healer on staff had been horrified and warned them that it might not be high enough to keep her sedated and she might get into trouble if Potter didn't reach her quickly enough.

Dumbledore was somewhat horrified to find out that the girl he suspected was Princess Elsa had in fact been angry enough that her magic worked double time in ridding her body of the potion, to the point she had woken up long _before_ she reached the surface and managed to swim unaided.

Hence why the mermaids never stopped Hadrian from taking the youngest hostage with him. The terms were that the champions had to swim out of the village with their hostage...they never thought one of the hostages would wake up and swim themselves out.

Fleur was beside herself with relief, knowing her sister was safely out of the lake. Like Hadrian said, mermaids and Veelas didn't mix and leaving even a half-Veela like her sister in the lake for too long could kill her.

These English dogs were absolute idiots.

Hadrian, once he was sure the potion was firmly out of his friend's system came to check on them.

" _How is she?"_ he asked in fluent French.

Fleur looked him over. While he was definitely handsome enough to suit her, she wasn't stupid enough to piss off the Princess. And yes, it was pretty damn obvious who Belphegor actually was, thanks to the number of girls who came to her school that were actually from her country.

" _My little sister will be fine, thanks to you. I can't believe these English cowards thought it was a smart idea to put those with the fire element in a mermaid colony,"_ she said in disgust.

" _I can't believe they made us swim in that damn lake. I hate the cold,"_ said Hadrian with good humor.

" _Can I skewer that idiot headmaster yet?"_ asked Belphegor crossly in the same language.

Dumbledore had somehow managed to overpower her with an odd wand and knock her out long enough to dose her...but even his powers were unable to suppress her Flames, and she had been pissed enough that the fire ate through the potions.

" _Not until the contract is terminated. They only said we had to stick around for the three tasks and keep you on a leash until the last one is over. There's nothing protecting them once that's done,"_ said Hadrian.

" _I hope you gouge those fools for every last knut,"_ said Fleur viciously.

The two Varia officers looked at each other before chuckling darkly. It sent shivers of fear down her spine.

" _It's Mammon, like they would ever let the potential to make a quick coin go by. Besides, these idiots don't even realize they've been paying us more than the prize money is actually_ worth _,"_ chortled Hadrian.

" _Good,"_ said Fleur vindictively. They put her precious sister into life-threatening danger without bothering to get her family's consent. There was no way her father would have allowed her sister anywhere near a mermaid colony!

Hearing they were paying through the nose for their own incompetence was just desserts in her opinion.

* * *

Sirius Black was nervous, and for good reason. It had little to do with meeting his godson for the first time since he was falsely arrested and locked in what could only be described as hell for twelve years and _everything_ to do with the fact that Dumbledore had been discreetly trying to find out what the Varia were since apparently Harry was one of them.

His pup was a member of the bloody Varia, and more than that he ran the _Cloud_ division!

Only an idiot would piss off a Cloud, because once angered they tended to be very vicious.

Storms were hot heads, they blew over quickly. But Clouds were as bad as Mists...when angered they didn't attack right away.

No, Clouds and Mists were the planners, those that nobly drifted when they found a Sky they could respect and harmonize with.

So yeah, Sirius was pretty damn freaked out his godson was a Cloud. And that was before he learned that the boy was attached to a bloody princess and the Mist Arcobaleno.

"Shishishi...so this is the head of the Black Family."

Sirius damn near jumped, especially when he found the Varia Storm Officer behind him.

"Mu. It seems at least one of these idiot Englishmen isn't completely oblivious to who we are," said the infant on her shoulder.

"The question is why he requested this meeting to begin with. I already have plenty of reasons to leave this country and never return," said Hadrian.

"Partly because I wanted to finally meet my godson, but mostly to verify that the old goat wasn't losing it when he started asking about the Varia," admitted Sirius. He gave Hadrian an odd look. "Did you really threaten a blood feud with Lucius' bratty son?"

Hadrian scoffed.

"Of course I did. Little shit was openly calling _my_ Bel a whore to her face and thought I was unaware of what sort of retaliation I could throw at him to get his sorry ass to shut up," said Hadrian.

Sirius grinned viciously.

"Good. I never liked the fact my third favorite cousin was stuck marrying that pompous prick," said Sirius.

"Shishishi..."

"Besides, I'm sure James would be over the moon if he ever found out his son was dating an actual princess," said Sirius grinning.

Because that right there was worthy of mentioning. It wasn't every day your godson managed to land actual _royalty_ , even one from such an old line like "Belphegor" was.

"Do you have any idea why girls are treated like crap in her country?" asked Hadrian, honestly curious.

Belphegor had looked, trying to find out why their country was one of the few who treated girls so horribly when the rest of the world had either moved on or been forced to acknowledge gender equality centuries ago. She had found nothing, to her annoyance.

"From what I remember it's because one of their Queens was so powerful that she was able to literally control the weather to the point she almost put the entire place under a permanent winter by accident. Some of their allies made such a stink about it that the advisers decided to prevent a repeat so they tried to keep the women as downtrodden as possible while marrying off the girls the first chance they had. If that didn't work they sealed as much of their core as they could get away with," said Sirius shrugging.

Hadrian blinked. That sounded...way too familiar.

"Was the Queen's name Elsa by any chance," he asked with a sudden gleam in his eyes.

"I think so. Kinda hard to forget that name when she was the topic of Andy's history thesis for her N.E.W.T.'s," said Sirius.

Hadrian outright grinned at Belphegor, who was scowling though she had no idea why he found this so hilarious.

"What?"

Mammon snorted outright in dark amusement.

"Your ancestor was recently immortalized in an animated movie called _Frozen_ , complete with her own theme song," explained Mammon.

Belphegor blinked, before a positively irritated expression came upon her face.

"You mean the one with that stupid snow man who liked hugs and the ice castle?" she asked. Hadrian nodded.

Sirius snickered, but immediately shut up upon seeing the knife at his throat.

"She's more terrifying than Lily was during that time of the month. I approve!" he said grinning.

Hadrian snorted. The only approval he wanted or needed was from the Boss.

"So just out of curiosity, did you at least inherit the pranking gene?" asked Sirius hopefully.

Seeing the evil grins on the faces of the Varia, he almost did a jig.

"You're looking at the biggest prankster in the Varia. How else did you think an eight year old kept a bunch of Clouds in line without getting killed for it?" asked Mammon.

"His name is Cheshire," announced Belphegor proudly, before leaning on him much like a cat.

"Well Cheshire, your dear old Padfoot would like to welcome you into the ranks of the Marauders. Prongs would absolutely approve, but avoid Moony. He tends to get mopey and all responsible," said Sirius in disgust.

Hadrian snorted. At least his godfather was _tolerable_.

* * *

Belphegor was about to raid the library when one of the French girls approached her. She seemed overly timid and Bel immediately recognized the signs of abuse.

" _Excuse me... are you really Princess Elsa?"_

That language. Belphegor froze, before a kinder smile came upon her face.

" _I go by Belphegor now. I see no need to let those fools tie me down because they are afraid of what a girl can do,"_ she replied gently in the same tongue. Seeing the girl brighten with hope, Bel patted her on the shoulder. _"Which family do you hail from?"_

The girl shyly responded, relieved that this was Elsa and _not_ Rasiel like they had feared.

Belphegor made a note to talk to Mammon about integrating some of the girls into Housekeeping.

The more girls she could get out of that damn country, the more pissed off it would make the old bastards. Besides, only the most well connected families could send their unwanted daughters outside to receive magical schooling until they were old enough to marry.

Plus, it wasn't that rare for a Princess to require handmaidens.

Belphegor grinned evilly. This was sure to piss those old bastards off, especially once the contract Hadrian's magical guardian drafted between them finally finished the grace period where her family could object to the match.

Her Cheshire was an excellent match, just not one that her family would have arranged considering how much they hated her.

"Someone's in a good mood," said a voice behind her, arms draping over her shoulders with a head on top of hers. She practically purred into the embrace.

"Mine."

Hadrian grinned at her.

"Always, Princess," he whispered into her ear.

"Nothing past second base until you're either seventeen or the Boss approves," Mammon called out, not looking up from their counting.

"Shishishi... Think Housekeeping would like a some magical applicants?" asked Bel.

Mammon looked up.

"What."

"Some of the French girls are from my country, and it would anger those old bastards to no end losing them to their errant Princess as handmaidens. Especially since I'm being 'married off' outside the royal family to someone they didn't have a chance to approve of first," explained Bel.

Once the contract went through, she was free and clear because it was magically binding. They couldn't break it and Hadrian wouldn't dare.

"I'll have to inquire about their grades, but I don't see Housekeeping having a problem with letting them join. It would save on the repair bills at least, and the amount of glasses we go through."

The Boss, when he was free, had a habit of throwing glasses and other things at people when irritated or just bored. And the less said about how much damage a castle full of bored or angry assassins with access to Flames, explosives and god knows what else could do on a _good_ day, the better. A simple repairing charm meant they could save a lot of money.

Besides, it would qualify as a good deed for the year and mean Belphegor owed them big.


	7. Chapter 7

The Final Task. Hadrian, by dint of being so far ahead in points, was going in first. Sirius was cheering him on and had already worked out a deal with Mammon regarding him working for the Mist as an informant.

No one ever paid attention to the random strays on the street.

It was hard to explain the sheer relief on the faces of the French girls when told that Mammon was openly speaking with "Housekeeping" about hiring them. While it did mean manual labor like cleaning, laundry, and cooking, it was still infinitely preferably to what they had waiting for them back in their home country.

And yes, there was a "handmaiden clause" that allowed them to tie themselves specifically to Belphegor and prevent arranged marriages without her approval.

In the words of Hadrian, Belphegor had gone from the "crown princess" to the "Cousin who was close enough to be considered royalty, but distant enough that they weren't likely to ever inherit in their lifetime".

Considering Bel openly considered Xanxus "king" of the Varia, that wasn't too far off the mark. Hell, Xanxus would probably love that description and Levi wouldn't question it at all.

Hadrian had no desire to pick up the cup. He wasn't Quality for nothing and this positively reeked of a trap.

He gleefully burned through the maze, his eyes black as night and dark as hell itself.

Warlocks were truly terrifying when before they Ascended. To Use without consequences, only to get even more powerful to the point of summoning the dead with a little use of Power...

There was a reason why Wizards feared them to their very bones.

Sirius shivered outside. Someone was Using and not exactly being subtle about it.

"What is it?" asked Mammon sharply.

"Someone is Using. Not Ascended, but still being pretty damn careless about it."

"Shishishi... Hadrian wants this over with so we can kill that Malfoy twit. Contract only lasts until the tournament has ended. Besides, he rarely gets to play," snickered Bel.

Sirius blinked, before he face palmed.

"Well at least he's not chickenshit about it like James was..." he muttered.

Honestly, James only had to take one look at the whole "black eyes" crap that came from Using to immediately declare it pure evil and refuse to have anything to do with it. He had been in total denial since it first started and it was a miracle no one had busted him for a Warlock years ago.

Sirius made a point to never let James know he continued his training, regardless of how he felt about his family. He was a Black, and not exactly raised on the whole "Dumbledore is always right" propaganda that was more or less shoved down his cousin's throat for years by Lady Prewett and the others that hung around Dorea.

Dumbledore didn't like the fact Warlocks were naturally more powerful than wizards, so he made them sound evil. It was ridiculous.

And Hadrian got a double dose of the Power because he came by it honestly from both the Potter and the Black sides when Sirius declared him his heir with his Power the day he was born.

Suddenly the Power cut off and the hedges slammed down.

There, holding the Goblet with an iron stick to cancel out any active or passive magic, was Hadrian looking decidedly bored with the whole thing.

He made sure his voice carried to Belphegor who looked positively eager to be set loose.

" _You do realize you have exactly one hour to make up to Belphegor before she decides to go on a very long overdue killing spree of the inbred imbeciles who made some very unwise remarks about her, right?"_

Sirius grinned.

By the time they left England there were quite a few unhappy old blooded families without heirs...particularly the Malfoy patriarch.

Belphegor had been particularly vicious and very creative when it came to displaying Draco's body after the multiple comments he made about her. He really shouldn't have called her a whore to her face.

* * *

"Voi! Anyone mind explaining why we have a bunch of witches in Housekeeping?!" complained Squalo.

"Ask the Prince. He brought them with him from England," said Levi.

"VOI! Where is that damn brat!"

"Shishishi... problem?" said Belphegor, hanging from the ceiling via wires.

"Why are there a bunch of French witches in Housekeeping?" demanded Squalo. Being hexed for his language was not a good way to start a morning.

Belphegor gave him an odd look... if by odd one took the fact their face went completely flat and didn't have the usual sadistic grin on their face and was completely serious for once.

"They agreed to come work under the Boss because I am a Prince. It was either that or a life that wasn't exactly worth having in a country that treats women as less than second class citizens."

Squalo stared at him.

"And how exactly did you explain to them how things work here?"

"They get to work in housekeeping and live however they please so long as they don't try to betray me or the Boss, and in exchange they serve under a 'king' who's currently indisposed until we find out how to free him. They seemed pretty pleased when I told them Boss is more likely to curse and possibly throw glasses or other things at them than treat them as badly as they were back home."

An angry king who threw things and cursed, but didn't actually abuse his subjects? A major upgrade to Rasiel and the men back home.

"And what's your position in this 'kingdom'?" said Squalo, humoring the brat.

Belphegor shrugged.

"As the Kitty put it, I'm the cousin who's close enough to be considered royalty among the peasants, but distant enough that the odds of me ever inheriting the throne in my lifetime are next to nothing," they replied.

Which... did make a twisted sort of sense.

"So the witches are here to stay," stated Squalo, not exactly pleased with the news.

"Mammon doesn't seem to care since the repair bills have gone down, and Sorella is beyond happy that they'll have some actual potions to play around with and save on Flames," said Belphegor.

Squalo growled, but there was little he could do about it now.

Of course not all the news was as amusing.

* * *

"So let me get this straight... this Dark Lord that caused so much trouble over a decade ago somehow managed to come back and now the old goat expects me to ask _him_ for protection? Is he fucking high or something?!" said Hadrian incredulous.

"Frankly I think so. I always thought those damn lemon drops were suspicious. To be perfectly honest I'm absolutely sure you'd kill anyone stupid enough to try that shit with you, or your friends would. I only agreed to come to get a free trip out of that damn house. Just because I let him use my old home doesn't mean I intend to live there," said Sirius.

Hadrian frowned.

"Tell that old bastard to find a new damn clubhouse. If he's so senile he thinks Warlocks are evil, who knows what he might do to the library and other artifacts."

Sirius snorted.

"I already made Kreacher move them to the main manor. He's just taking over the town house. I'm just happy my mother's portrait wasn't included."

Orion was _not_ in fact the Head of the Black Family. His father was, and despite how Walburga might have felt about it Sirius remained the heir even after he left home. When the old man died, Sirius became head of the family, much to the woman's ire.

Which meant that only Sirius had access to the Black Manor, one he was more or less ordered to visit after he left to stay with the Potters.

Fortunately his grandfather had been very understanding why his heir had left and refused to be marked...with the agreement that Sirius never fall prey to the same idiocy that had befallen James.

They were from a long line of Warlocks and didn't take shit from anyone.

"Anyway, know where I can crash?" asked Sirius hopefully.

"If you're hoping to crash here, think again. My Clouds like to try and revenge prank me in an effort to create a weakness so they can take my spot," said Hadrian bluntly.

"Then at least let me instruct you in the way of the Marauder Way of Pranking. You're good, but you could be so much more...effective," grinned Sirius. Hadrian's smirk was just as evil.

"The clothes stay on until you're seventeen!" shouted Mammon from the corridor.

"Belphegor's giving Squalo headaches. I'm conspiring with your new wizard informant to make things more...interesting...for the Cloud division," said Hadrian.

"Mu. The repairs are coming out of your paycheck," said Mammon.

"They're really strict on the nothing outside of cuddling rule here aren't they?" said Sirius.

"That's only because neither Sorella or Mammon want to deal with an accidental pregnancy, and we have no idea how the boss will take it."

"So is this big sister of yours hot?" asked Sirius with a hopeful leer.

"Very hot. Too hot for you to handle," said Hadrian, sending Luss a quick text so he could fully "greet" the new informant. Mammon would take pictures too.

If he were Padfoot, he'd be wagging his tail at the prospect of meeting a 'hot' big sister type. Hadrian barely refrained from cackling.

 _Fifteen minutes later..._

"AIIIIIEEEEE!"

"Shishishi..."

Mammon was not so subtly cackling their ass off while snapping multiple pictures. There was no way in hell Sirius was going to get rid of them all, especially since he barely knew anything about the internet.

Hadrian was howling at the look on the old dog's face. Totally. Worth. It.

"That was a dirty, uncalled for stunt. I approve!" said Sirius once he got over his shock. Definitely Marauder material right there. James must be rolling in his grave laughing his ass off at his old friend right now. And Lily was almost certainly chortling in amusement. "Prepare for payback."

"Bring it on old man. At least I don't have gray hairs."

"VOI! I am not old!" shouted Squalo, who had come to investigate what had made that racket to the point he knocked over the paperwork.

"I was talking to this old fucker," said Hadrian, eyes gleaming.

"Oi! I'm only 34!" protested Sirius.

"Long, those 34 years," said Hadrian sagely.

"Why you little..."

"Who's this trash?" demanded Squalo.

"Sirius Black, falsely convicted Wizard, and the kitten's magically bonded Godfather," said Mammon.

"And he's here why?"

"He came to warn Cheshire that the 'dark lord' was back and that the goat might try to kidnap him and claim protection," said Mammon.

Squalo's eyes glinted with violent glee. Anyone stupid enough to take their Cloud officer was going to have their asses handed to them and that was _before_ the Prince brat got involved. Never mind what the rest of the Officers would do to anyone that Stupid.

They might argue with each other all the time, but they'd be damned if they lost one of their own to some civilian fuckers who clearly had no proper concept of what "safe" was. They were assassins. Safety was an illusion with them!

Sirius eyed Squalo and "Sorella" before nodding with approval. His godson might not have a "safe" or "friendly" life, but at least these people understood what loyalty was and wouldn't hesitate to help kill or hide the bodies if it meant protecting Hadrian.

A pity more of the Order weren't like that, save for those like Moody.

* * *

Meeting Remus was... interesting. He positively froze when he got within three feet of Belphegor. It was hilarious.

"Padfoot..."

"Yes Moony?"

"Why didn't you warn me his betrothed reeks of blood and death?"

"Because then you would have brought more people," deadpanned Sirius. "Belphegor is perfectly harmless so long as you don't annoy them and are properly respectful. On an unrelated note, they're also pretty likely to bite someone's head off if they take the fact you're a werewolf personally."

"Shishishi... The wolf looks rather jumpy," snickered Bel.

Remus shuddered. And this was the girl his pup was going to marry later?

"Well that was irritating," said Hadrian, teleporting with Mammon straight from the Italian Ministry. It had taken a while for news to reach them that he was back.

On the plus side he had more or less been told he was free to do whatever the hell he wanted so long as he didn't break the Statute of Secrecy, didn't kill anyone in the Italian Magical Community without an active Contract, and agreed to stay the hell out of their Ministry unless he was there for official business.

No way in hell did they want anyone who worked for the Varia joining the Ministry in any official capacity. They weren't stupid like the English.

Remus stared at him for a second, then made a choked sound the second he saw Mammon.

"Oh dear sweet Merlin, why the hell didn't you warn me he was friends with _Viper_?" said Remus in a horrified voice.

"Viper?" said Hadrian.

"I go by many names. Hello again Lupin, or should I call you John?" said Mammon bluntly.

Remus made a pained noise.

"Okay, I have to hear this," said Sirius grinning evilly.

"I may or may not have supplied Wolfsbane to him a few times when he was working in Mafia Land as an informant," said Mammon.

"You charged me twice what the potion was actually worth!" said Remus.

"Yes, but I never took advantage of the fact you were a werewolf or went higher than double the value," said Mammon bluntly.

"Wait, Mafia Land? As in you had underworld contacts and didn't tell me?" said Sirius with glee. Straight laced Remus working for the mafia? How was he not going to abuse his teasing rights for this?!

"Who else would hire someone with no real identification who couldn't work for a few days a month like clockwork?" scowled Remus.

Hadrian snorted.

"We have blackmail pictures of Sirius meeting Sorella," said Hadrian.

"Share. Now. Or else he'll never shut up," said Remus.

"Shishishi, why don't we take him to meet Sorella to get a proper physical. I'm sure they'd be happy to inspect a werewolf!" said Belphegor evilly. Sirius nodded emphatically.

 _An hour later..._

"AIIIEEEE!"

"VOI! GOD DAMMIT, WHOEVER SCREAMED THIS TIME IS GOING TO GET MY SWORD UP THEIR ASS!"

Hadrian and Sirius cackled. Though he had to admit, their reaction to Luss' personal collection for his rather disturbing fetish was even funnier.

A pity Draco was in too many pieces for them to bring home to Sorella. He was Luss' type and he would have probably enjoyed the nice present from them. Not to mention the sheer fun they could have had sending hints of what happened to the idiot's body back to his parents for mental trauma.

Sirius laughed his ass off once he got over this newest shock.


End file.
